61-year-old woman gives birth to her own granddaughter


A mother’s love is unconditional, and in a demonstration of that, a Nebraskan woman recently gave birth to her own granddaughter, having acted as a surrogate for her son and his husband.

Elliot Dougherty and Matthew Eledge have wanted a child, but after exploring other avenues that felt “too corporate” for the couple (they felt like they were buying something in the process), family members stepped in to help.

According to a Facebook post by Elliot, his sister Lea went through the surgery process to retrieve her eggs, after which the in vitro fertilization process started. The embryos created from this were then implanted in the uterus of Matthew’s mother.

Elliot wrote, “Several healthy embryos were created out of those eggs. Then, Matthew’s mother stepped forward and offered us the greatest gift of all. She offered to carry our baby for us. Our first daughter, being created in the womb of her grandmother. It has been such a beautiful journey. We are so incredibly grateful. What an honor it is to have these two women in our life. Life is a dream.”

Matthew’s mother Cecile underwent many checks before the procedure was approved by doctors at Omaha’s University of Nebraska Medical Center. “There was no moment of hesitation,” she spoke to KETV-News.”It was a natural instinct.”

Their daughter was born early last Monday, and she was a healthy girl weighing in at 5 pounds and 13 ounces. The couple has named her Uma Louise.

“When you are gay and married and want to have a kid, you go into it with the knowledge that you are going to have to create a family in a special way,” Matthew explained. “There are creative, unique ways to build a family.”

“We are thankful with how the whole process worked. We are really grateful that both Uma and her grandma are here, happy and healthy. The entire team from doctors to nurses to lab techs showed a beautiful balance of professionalism and compassion. For the time being, we’re just going to relax and enjoy this moment,” he added.

Photographer Ariel Panowicz captured the unique and extremely emotional birth, which she shared to her Instagram. 

“Little tiny Uma Louise has ventured into this world and let me tell you, she is simply perfect,” she wrote in one caption. “Carried and birthed by her 61-year old Grandmother, and created by her two dads and loving aunt, Uma is surrounded by an immense amount of love.”

“I had a lot of people in college say they would (carry and deliver a child), but when push comes to shove, that’s a huge commitment,” said Matthew Eledge, who is a teacher. “More than anything, we feel lucky to have women selfless enough to do this,” he said.

While the method is far from ordinary, Matthew and Elliot’s families have come together in order to help the couple achieve their dreams of fatherhood. 


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